To be hired as a motivational speaker is a great opportunity to showcase one’s talent, skill and intellect on various topics and ideas. This applies also if you are looking for someone to represent your organization, company, or family as a motivational speaker. It is also a great honor to show have people listen and pay attention to your opinions and notions in life. But how exactly must people be good motivational speakers?
Here are some keys to be good motivational speakers:
From the word itself, you have to be motivational. This is also an important aspect of being a motivational speaker. You need to move your listeners. You can talk about your passions, what made you successful, happy etc. You can do this as long as you can associate it well with the said topic. Just be positive in the things you say and talk about events that will surely inspire the audience then you’ll be a hit!
You also must have good communication skills. This would involve proper grammatical skills. Addressing your audience properly should be your top priority and when you know how to speak properly, this would be an easy task. Looking at them in the eye is also recommended. It would make the feel important as you deliver your speech. If your audience consists of people of great authorities such as presidents of various companies, then you should make sure the topic is both helpful and informative to them. This makes you not just a talker but also someone brilliant!
Researching about your topic is also an important key
As said above, being highly informative is essential to make your speech a success. For instance, if you are hired to promote a certain product or service, then you have to testify about the said product or service and how it had been beneficial for you. You must state its usage and quality in a manner that gives it praise. Having a testimony solidifies that product or service’s quality that the audience would be truly interested with it.
You can also search about other people who were motivational speakers before. And if you know some personally, you can ask tips from them.
How you conduct your speech should also be relevant and timely. This allows the listeners to relate with the topic especially if the topic can be associated with recent events or happenings around the world.
Audiences vary so you have to be as flexible and adaptable as possible
Different groups of people need to be approached and communicated differently. Not only must you make sure they understand the topic, they should be entertained as well. Being informative is good, but you must make sure they are not bored! That’s because some people prefer a lively speech. Being entertaining means you have to be witty. Adding a little humor every now and then won’t hurt. It also helps if the speaker himself has an entertainment background.
Practicing in public speaking is also recommended especially if you still get “stage fright” when it comes to speaking in public. This will allow you to speak more effectively with your audience, having the confidence that you’ve gained from the exposure of public speaking. You can practice by making your family and friends as your audience to overcome any nagging nervousness when it comes to public speaking. Some people can also take public speaking classes if that’s your preference.
Recording your speeches is also good. This will allow you to watch yourself later as if you are a part of the audience. Then it will help you to take note of how you conduct your speech and make improvements in the next opportunity for motivational speaking.
Practicing writing is highly recommended too. This will provide written handouts or materials to support the speaking assignments. This helps the audience to remember what you’ve said and they’ll have a written guide too. You can also create your own website or blog to promote your writing and can be invited to speak for another company. This will not only improve your motivational speaking skills but it will also serve as a better public engagement.
Having equipment and props for your motivational speaking is also useful
Some motivational speakers use PowerPoint presentations to capture the audience’s full attention and to provide an additional information for them as they deliver the speech. Relevant information should be indicated in the presentation to fully characterize your topic.
Finding an excellent venue is also relevant. Conducting your speech in a conference room or auditorium is recommendable. Having the air of intimacy is good. A room too large would feel empty and a room too small would feel too crowded. It is important to be precise in choosing a location. This will make sure that your venue is appropriate for the amount of expected audience. If your speech is promoting a certain product or service, it can be helpful if the venue is in the company itself. It would serve as a promotion.